Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 22, 1995 TAG: 9511220087
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Knight-Ridder/Tribune
DATELINE: DAYTON, OHIO LENGTH: Medium
President Clinton, cherishing the success of the American-led strategy to end the war, announced the dramatic breakthrough and reaffirmed his commitment to send U.S. troops to Bosnia.
As the White House prepared to take its case to the American public and Congress, Clinton reminded Americans of the ``atrocities that have appalled people all over the world,'' and asked them to recognize that U.S. money and might is essential if the fragile peace is to become permanent.
``Without us, the hard-won peace would be lost, the war would resume, the slaughter of innocents would begin again,'' Clinton said. ``The parties have chosen peace. We must choose peace as well.''
White House officials said Clinton probably will make a televised address to the nation soon.
The settlement sets in motion a chain of events that could lead to the deployment of 60,000 NATO soldiers within weeks. If all goes well, the parties would meet in Paris to sign a peace treaty by mid-December. The bulk of U.S. forces would begin deployment several days later.
Congressional leaders, however, are apprehensive about dispatching American soldiers on the risky mission because they are skeptical about the prospects for lasting peace in a region.
Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, the leading GOP presidential contender, said he welcomed Clinton's promise to give Congress time to review the peace agreement before ordering American troops into the region along with other NATO forces.
But Dole insisted that the president ``has not yet made the case to Congress, or to the American people, for a massive deployment of American troops ... to implement this agreement. He will have many questions to answer in the coming weeks.''
The reaction of Serbs, Muslims and Croats in Bosnia to the agreement will have a critical impact on both the debate in America over sending U.S. troops and the likelihood an enduring peace. Already, some Serbs are complaining that the deal should be repudiated, while Muslims and Croats are certain to be unhappy with elements of the agreement, particularly the territorial concessions.
The next step is for NATO to quickly complete its military plan, which then will be submitted to Clinton for review and approval in a matter of days.
Clinton said he will make sure the NATO plan is ``clear, limited and achievable, and that the risks to our troops are minimized.''
Agreements to end the war in Bosnia have been signed before - and have failed. Tuesday's signing ceremony at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base was marked more by sober warnings than smiles.
``On paper, we have peace. To make it work is our next and our greatest challenge,'' said Assistant Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke
The peace treaty calls for an independent Bosnia to become a country of two states. One state would be controlled by the rebel Serbs. The other would be governed by Muslims and Croats.
For the time being, at least, Bosnia would be a country of two armies - or three, counting the NATO forces whose mission is to keep the rival sides apart and prevent a return to war. The agreement calls for foreign governments to train a civilian police force and prepare for free elections next year.
The political and military leaders of the Bosnian Serbs, Radovan Karadzic and Gen. Ratko Mladic, face charges of directing massacres and atrocities unseen in Europe since World War II. The peace agreement calls for them to be stripped of political power, although the details of their fate remain unclear."
by CNB